Easton takes film party to the parking garage

Easton hosts its annual film festival and after party on Saturday, September 13, 2014. (CHRIS KNIGHT / SPECIAL TO THE MORNING CALL)

Christy Potter,Special to The Morning Call

It was the most glamorous party ever held in a parking garage — one that's still under construction at that.

Saturday night's Movies at the Mill Easton afterparty, held at the parking deck being built on South Third Street, gave attendees a chance to see what's new in Easton — the aim of every Movies at the Mill since the event's inception six years ago.

The films were shown this year at the State Theatre, and afterparty attendees, dressed in suits and heels, made the first level of the parking garage seem as elegant as a ballroom.

"Someone told me this feels like New York," Mayor Sal Panto Jr. said, looking around at the cocktail tables and low lighting. "I think that's a compliment," he joked.

Movies at the Mill Easton began as a way to help in the city's redevelopment efforts. It started as a one-off event to show developers the potential of the Simon Silk Mill site. That site is now under reconstruction, but the film festival and afterparty have become an end-of-summer tradition in Easton. This year's event, according to festival organizer Gershon Hinkson, was created to give attendees "a proper downtown experience."

"The turnout tonight is amazing," Hinkson said. He added that the opulence of this year's event was due in part to the film screening being hosted by the State Theatre, and the fact that the afterparty food vendors were high-end.

"If people didn't enjoy themselves at the State Theatre, they wouldn't have come here for this," he said.

The festival featured eight short films, six of which were from the Lehigh Valley area, and during the afterparty, Bucks County native Philip Jampo was named "Best from the Valley" for his film, "Thursday Afternoon," about a troubled constable who returns to the site of his partner's death, and finds himself attempting to reconcile with the sister of a dead criminal.

Jampo, a graduate of DeSales University, called the festival a great opportunity for him as a young filmmaker.

Panto said having the afterparty in the new parking garage was a strategic move to let attendees see the new structure, which is slated to open in July 2015, and the much-needed additional parking it will bring to downtown Easton.

Anthony Biondi, chief executive officer of event sponsor Merchants Bank, said he was thrilled with the evening's festivities.

"There was such a long line for food, I started at the dessert table," he quipped.

Biondi said the festival has always been about highlighting the best of Easton.

"It's a great way to showcase what's happening downtown, all the growth and positive change," he said.

For the past two years, the festival has grown due in part to the addition of a seminar series led by Hollywood filmmakers. Last year's inaugural seminar featured Academy Award nominee Morgan Spurlock. This year's seminar was conducted by "The Bourne Identity" director Doug Liman.